CHAPTER 1: THE NAME HE BURIED
The folded paper shook in the boy’s hand as the diner fell silent.
“Mom said you left before I was born,” the boy whispered.
Jax stared at him, unable to move.
Slowly, the boy handed him the note.
“My mom told me to give this to you.”
Jax unfolded it.
The handwriting hit him instantly.
Emily.
The woman he had loved. The woman he had lost eight years ago.
His eyes raced across the letter.
If you're reading this, our son finally found you.
I never believed you abandoned us willingly.
The people looking for you kept finding me first.
His name is Noah.
He deserves to know the truth.
And if you're reading this, I'm probably gone.
Please take care of him.
Love, Emily.
The paper slipped from Jax’s hand.
His chest tightened.
“Gone?” he whispered.
The boy lowered his eyes.
“My mom died three weeks ago.”
The words shattered him.
For years, Jax had searched for Emily before disappearing to protect her from dangerous men connected to his past.
Now she was gone.
And he never got to say goodbye.
The elderly man waiting outside entered the diner.
It was Walter, Emily’s father.
“You finally found each other,” Walter said quietly.
Jax looked at him.
“What happened?”
“Cancer,” Walter replied. “She fought for two years.”
Jax closed his eyes.
Every second felt unbearable.
Walter handed him another envelope.
Inside was a recent photograph.
Emily sat in a hospital bed, smiling weakly beside Noah.
On the back, she had written:
You still owe me that dance.
A tear rolled down Jax’s cheek.
Across the counter, Noah watched carefully.
Trying to understand the stranger who might be his father.
Jax slowly knelt in front of him.
“Your mom was the best person I've ever known.”
Noah nodded.
“She said you loved her.”
Jax swallowed hard.
“She was right.”
For the first time, the boy's fear seemed to fade.
A small connection formed between them.
Then the diner door swung open.
A cold wind rushed inside.
Everyone turned.
A man in a black leather jacket stepped through the doorway.
Jax immediately recognized him.
Reed Mercer.
A member of the Black Vultures—the criminal group Jax had spent years hiding from.
Reed's eyes landed on Noah.
Then on Jax.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
“Well,” he said. “Looks like the family reunion already started.”
Jax's blood ran cold.
Because if Reed had found them...
May you like
The danger that destroyed his past was back.
And now it knew exactly where his son was.
